What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease that afflicts around 200 million patients around world. Alarmingly in the United States, around 20% of the population age 60 or more have diabetes. In diabetes, the body is unable to regulate the blood glucose levels of the body. In actuality, diabetes is a general term that refers to conditions in which this blood glucose dysregulation occurs. There are actually two types of diabetes (diabetes mellitus type I and diabetes mellitus type II). In type I diabetes, the body suffers an autoimmune condition where it attacks its own cells in the pancreas that produce and secrete insulin (the hormone by which the body regulates its own blood sugar levels). In type II diabetes, the body gradually develops tolerance and resistance to the effects of insulin, with possible contributions to this condition at the level of hormone production, glucose processing, transporters, or receptors.

What are some symptoms that may indicate diabetes or a need to seek medical help or advice?

Even though the two types of diabetes do not share in causes, risk factors, treatments, or onset, they do share some similar generalized symptoms. Knowing these general symptoms of diabetes can lead to faster problem recognition and seeking out of medical help:

• tiredness or fatigue
• inexplicable weight loss
• blurry or fuzzy vision
• problems with wound healing or regular and persistent infections
• altered mental status
• frequent and excessive urination urges
• excessive hunger
• excessive thirst

For diabetic patients, it is important to seek immediate medical help if you have extremely high or low blood sugar levels; treamtents or prescriptions are not working; you feel nauseous; or you have a blister, sore, or injury to your leg, feet, hands, or arms. If you are unsure or suspect a diabetic emergency, seek help immediately.

For diabetes patients, what is the importance of diabetes testing equipment?

As part of a regular healthy lifestyle in living with diabetes, monitoring one’s blood glucose level regularly goes importantly with dietary changes, lifestyle improvements, and prescription injections or medications as needed. Blood glucose levels can change significantly with eating, exercise, and or hormonal changes, it is of utmost importance to keep watch and record your blood glucose level throughout the day with diabetes testing equipment. Big changes or spike in blood glucose levels can also signal a serious diabetes emergency or cause some diabetic complication. For all these reasons, it is important to be using diabetes testing equipment regularly throughout the day.

In general, what are different kinds of diabetes testing products?

A single and vital task to be repeated regularly for those living with diabetes each day is testing and recording one’s blood glucose level. The most accurate piece of diabetes testing equipment for doing this measuring of blood glucose is a diabetic glucometer or accu-chek meter. These diabetic meters are much more accurate than comparing color changes on test strips. With the diabetes gluco meter, however, it also takes much more efforts to learn to use, calibrate, and maintain the diabetes testing equipment. You should also pay attention not to store your diabetes glucometer in extreme heat or cold and to maintain, calibrate, and clean it regularly in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. As a useful added benefit, many diabetic gluco meters also have software for easy transfer for blood glucose measurement to your doctor.

Some of the most popular diabetic testing equipment are from:

• Abbott
• Arkray USA
• Bayer
• Health Check USA
• Home Diagnostics HD
• Liberty Medical
• LifeScan
• Nova Biomedical
• Roche Diagnostics Accu-Chek
• US Diagnostics

Another important way to test blood glucose levels is with diabetic lancets and test strips. Diabetes patients will use the lancets to prick their finger to get a drop of blood to be used on the test strips to determine glucose levels. Technological advancements have also brought forth automatic lancets which can be set to a desired length setting. Other advancements have also effected prickless testing strips for measuring blood glucose levels; these prickless testing strips will be higher in price, but can help those patients fearful or anxious about pricking their finger repeatedly.

Another very important test equipment for those living with diabetes is used to test urine for ketone levels. When urine ketone levels are tested to be high in a diabetes patient’s urine, that can indicate blood glucose level problems or fluctuations and diabetic ketoacidosis. These cases of diabetic ketoacidosis can lead to mental alertness and mind status changes or even death and thus constitutes a medical emergency. Diabetes patients should also keep in mind to avoid foods high in vitamin C or other acids before taking such an urine ketone test to avoid a false positive result.

What should I pay attention to or be aware of for diabetes testing products?

With diabetes glucometers and other electronic equipment, you should clean, maintain, and calibrate them regularly according to the instructions. With testing kits or testing strips, you should pay attention to expiration dates and effective dates. With all sensitive medical testing equipment, you should be aware not to store them in extreme heat or cold and to avoid storage with excessive moisture.

In addition to using diabetes testing equipment regularly as prescribed by the doctor, what are some lifestyle or dietary changes that can help avoid deadly or serious complications of the diabetes disease?

It is important to make positive lifestyle and dietary changes with living diabetes since diabetic complications can be quite serious such as kidney failure effecting a dependence on dialysis, peripheral nerve damage or blood circulation problems leading to a need for amputation, temporary or permanent blindness, or even death in the most serious cases.

Some of these lifestyle and dietary changes for diabetes patients include:

• Maintaining a diet with complex carbohydrates to avoid spikes and big alterations inblood glucose.
• A diet that is high in fiber and low in fat also goes along with this
• Quit or reduce smoking and lower or eliminate intake of alcohol
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Ingest enough water and liquids every day
• Maintain oral hygiene with regular brushing and flossing of teeth
• Wash, clean, and examine your arms, hands, feet, and legs every day, and pay particular attention to any blisters or sores

How do I pick the right types and brands of diabetes testing equipment for me?

First of all in the process of picking the right diabetes testing equipment, you should talk extensively with your doctor or physician and get his or her advice. Along with lifestyle and dietary changes, your physician will be able to tell you which diabetes testing equipment will be vital in your life with diabetes. Once you know what types of diabetes testing equipment you need, you should talk with friends, family, and medical supplier representatives to get their expertise, advice, experiences, and recommendations. With these steps and tips, you should be able to find and select the best types and brands of diabetes testing equipment that you need.

How do I get the best prices on diabetes testing equipment?

When you are first just buying your diabetes testing equipment, it might be a good idea to visit a brick and mortar medical supplies store so that you can see and touch the products as well as get taught how to use them properly. With these initial choosing and purchases of diabetes testing equipment, you should probably not be as concerned about price. Your other option would be to select the exact brand and type of diabetes testing equipment you want, then go shopping for the best prices online. When shopping online for diabetes testing equipment, you want to be sure to choose trusted online retailers and suppliers. This is another great time to talk to friends and family who have gone through similar experiences for their recommendations on retailers for diabetes testing equipment. Shop around at different retailers and check for great offers such as price matching, coupons, and free shipping.